Early Morning Edinburgh
Hills, parks and riverside walks
Arthur's Seat, Calton Hill and the Water of Leith are all open air places that you can walk before the city is busy. Park gates and monuments keep their own hours, so check each place's page.
23 places
All year When
The places
Park · Holyrood Holyrood Park A royal park of crags, lochs and hills beside the palace, run by Historic Environment Scotland. It has a scenic walk and an audio guide on the Geotourist app.
Viewpoint · Holyrood Arthur's Seat The summit of the hill in Holyrood Park, the highest point in the park and a standard walk for views over the city and the Forth.
Viewpoint · Holyrood Salisbury Crags The cliff line on the western side of Holyrood Park, walked along its upper edge for views over the Old Town.
Park · New Town Princes Street Gardens The gardens in the valley between the Old Town and Princes Street, managed by the City of Edinburgh Council.
Landmark · Calton Hill Nelson Monument A tower on Calton Hill you can climb for views of the city. It is open 7 days a week from 10:00 to 15:30, with tickets at £7.50.
Viewpoint · Calton Hill Calton Hill A hill at the east end of Princes Street with a group of monuments and a wide view over the city. The Council lists it among its parks.
Park · Marchmont and the Meadows The Meadows A large open park south of the Old Town with the biggest play area in the city, tennis courts, a cafe and toilets, according to the Council. Bruntsfield Links adjoins it.
Park · Canonmills Inverleith Park A large park of grass and tree-lined paths with sports pitches, a play area, tennis court, allotments and a sundial garden.
Park · Bruntsfield and Morningside Hermitage of Braid and Blackford Hill A local nature reserve with Hermitage House and its visitor centre, an ice house, a walled-garden doocot and woodland walks. It has held a Green Flag since 2011.
Viewpoint · Bruntsfield and Morningside Braid Hills Hills rising to 675 feet with views on all sides, two golf courses and the only park in the city where horse riding is allowed.
Park · Bruntsfield and Morningside Braidburn Valley Park A green corridor following the Braid Burn through a grassy valley, with paths for walking, cycling and jogging. It has held a Green Flag since 2007.
Park · Colinton Colinton Dell A tree-lined stretch of the Water of Leith Walkway through ancient and long-established woodland.
Viewpoint · Corstorphine Corstorphine Hill A local nature reserve of woodland and grassland whose highest point, 531 feet, has views of the city and the Forth.
Park · Craigmillar Craigmillar Castle Park A natural heritage park of woodland, grassland and old quarries that includes 40,000 trees planted in 1997 as part of the millennium forest.
Park · Cramond Cramond Foreshore A shoreline walk with views across the Forth to Fife, a cafe and a walkway that links to Cramond Island at low tide.
Viewpoint · Bruntsfield and Morningside Craiglockhart Hill A local nature reserve whose plateau has views of the Forth, the Pentlands and East Lothian, with a nature trail by leaflet or QR code.
Park · Cramond Cammo Estate A large estate on the north-west edge of the city with woodland, glades, grassland, a walled garden and a visitor centre.
Park · Stockbridge Rocheid Path A short woodland path beside the Water of Leith with history panels.
Park · Cramond River Almond Walkway A nature trail along a clifftop through woodland, marsh, ponds and meadow.
Day trip · Midlothian Pentland Hills Regional Park A regional park of about 10,000 hectares south-west of the city with ten reservoirs and 100 km of waymarked paths. It has visitor points at Harlaw House and Flotterstone Lodge.
Park · Stockbridge Water of Leith Walkway A riverside route through the city run with the Water of Leith Conservation Trust, with an audio trail and plaques along the way.
Landmark · Dean Village Dean Village A former milling village in the valley of the Water of Leith, a short walk from Princes Street.
Park · Fountainbridge Union Canal The canal that runs from Edinburgh Quay west across the city, managed by Scottish Canals.
